NIERDC History Class GT-B

The North Island Endurance Series will enter it’s 7^th season in 2020 so let’s have a look back at some of the previous Class winners in GT-B.

2014 – Between 2014 & 2016 GT-B was known as the GT Class in the first year although Simon Gilbertson, Elliot Andrew & Ian Hayr all won races in their respective Porsche 997’s it was the Panoz of Kel McBeath that took Class honours in the 1Hour race while in the 3Hour John de Veth won the GT Class in his Holden Commodore VE V8ST while using three different co-drivers with Paul Manuell at Round 1, Richard Moore at Round 2 & Glenn Smith at Round3.

2015 – Ian Hayr won the 1Hour GT Class in Porsche 997 with Sam Fillmore took second in another Porsche 997 with Tim O’Connor in his Ferrari 458 Challenge taking the final spot on the podium. Inky Tulloch & John McIntyre won the 3Hour in Inky’s Chev Camaro GT3 with John de Veth & Glenn Smith taking second in their Holden Commodore VE V8ST & Lance Hughes & Andre Heimgartner taking third in Lance’s Holden Commodore VE TLX car.

2016 – Matt Whittaker won the GT Class for 2016 in the 1Hour driving a Porsche 991 with Elliot Andrew coming home second in his Ferrari 430 Challenge & Paul Verryt driving came home third in a Holden Commodore VE TLX while in the 3Hour race Neil Foster & Jonny Reid won in their Audi R8 with the Trass Family Motorsport Ferrari 458 GT3 of Sam Fillmore taking second with Danny Sutterd taking co-driving duties in Rounds 1&3 with GRM Dunlop Series driver Richard Muscat filling in at Round 2. With John McIntyre & Simon Gilbertson finishing third in the Tulloch Motorsport Chev Camaro GT3.

2017 – Matt Whittaker went back to back in GT-B & Overall 1Hour honours in 2017 with John de Veth & Glenn Smith finishing second in their Holden Commodore VE V8ST with Ian Hayr finishing third in his Porsche 997. In the 3Hour Nick Chester & Cameron Jones won GT-B in Nick’s Holden Commodore VZ Supercar with Lance Hughes in his Holden Commodore VE TLX finishing second with Andre Heimgartner co-driving for Rounds 1&2 with Elton Goonan co-driving at the final Round while Callum Quinn & Simon McLennan finished third in another Holden Commodore VE V8ST.

2018 – Grant Aitken would win GT-B in 2018 in his Porsche Cayman 981 FT4 with Anthony Leighs finishing second in the ex-Matt Whittaker Porsche 991 with John Midgley finishing third in his ex- Shane van Gisbergen Ford Falcon FG V8ST in the 3Hour Simon Gilbertson & John McIntyre won GT-B & Outright in Simon’s newly imported Porsche 991 MR with Todd Murphy driving with Derin & Andy Greenslade finishing second in their Hyundai i45 V8ST with Nick Chester & Cameron Jones taking the final Podium spot in Nick’s Holden Commodore VZ Supercar.

2019 – Matt Whittaker won GT-B & Overall for a third time in 2019 this time driving a Porsche 991 Gen2 with Sean Kirkpatrick finishing second in the ex-Ian Hayr Porsche 997 & Todd Murphy finishing third in his Hyundai i45 V8ST in the 3Hour Rob Williams & Phil Blythe won GT-B in Rob’s Porsche 997 that used to be campaigned by Kevin Etches in the Series Kent Baigent came home second in his BMW M4 GT4 with Paul Radisich co driving at Round 1 with former Toyota 86 racer Ben MacDonald taking over co-driving duties at Round 2. Anthony Leighs stepped up to the 3Hour for 2019 & a Porsche 991 Gen as well who was co-driving with Paul Kelly the pair took 3^rd in GT-B.